Launch of the Dedekind Colloquium New lecture series brings renowned mathematicians to Braunschweig

With the Dedekind Colloquium, the Department of Mathematics at Technische Universität Braunschweig is launching a new annual lecture series: it highlights current developments in mathematical research and is aimed at researchers, students and anyone interested in mathematics. The renowned mathematician Professor Barbara Niethammer from the University of Bonn has been secured to give the inaugural lecture on 12 June 2026 at the Haus der Wissenschaft.

The new series is named after the mathematician Richard Dedekind (1831–1916), who is regarded as one of the founders of modern mathematics. At the same time, in the 1870s, the Braunschweig professor played a key role in driving the reorientation of the then educational institution, the Collegium Carolinum, towards a modern technical university.

“With the Dedekind Colloquium, we are creating a new forum for the exchange of ideas on current mathematical research,” says Professor Timo de Wolff, spokesperson for the Department of Mathematics. “At the same time, we wish to highlight the close connection between mathematics and its historical heritage in Braunschweig.”

The focus of the first colloquium, dedicated to TU professor Michael Herrmann who passed away two years ago, is a lecture by Professor Barbara Niethammer on “Gelation, self-similarity and oscillations in the classical coagulation equations”. The mathematician provides insights into so-called coagulation equations, which can be used to model the temporal development of size and mass distributions of aggregated particles. These equations were developed by the Polish physicist Marian Smoluchowski and are used to describe mass aggregation phenomena in various fields of application – from aerosol physics and polymerisation to issues in mathematical biology, medicine and economics.

The Dedekind Colloquium is intended to take place annually in future and to establish itself as a permanent platform for mathematical exchange in Braunschweig.

Programme

12 June 2026
Aula, Haus der Wissenschaft, Pockelsstraße 11, Braunschweig

1 p.m. Mathematical introduction to the lecture
Prof. Dr. Volker Bach (TU Braunschweig)

Musical interlude
Prof. Dr. Benedikt Jahnel (TU Braunschweig)

2 p.m. Opening and welcome addresses

2.30 p.m. Keynote lecture
Prof. Dr. Barbara Niethammer (University of Bonn)

3.30 pm Poster session and get-together
in the Architecture Pavilion, courtyard of the Altgebäude, Pockelsstraße 4